Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows
by MagixPawn
Summary: Sequel to Ribyyn of Hadic. After admitting she's a noble to some of the most important people in Tortall, Ribyyn is headed to Corus. However, a sudden turn in events stops all planning and before Ribyyn thinks about her future she must survive the present
1. A Silent, Unseen Shadow

A/N: Oh look. I'm back. Finally. Thanks for all the lovely reviews from the last story. Sorry this one took so long. It was tough starting a new story...I've got a real plot this time. How grand is that? I thought briefly about writing this story from first person point of view, but realized that would limit what I could do with my other characters, so this is written just like my other story. Yay that.

Such a creative title don't you think?

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Prologue: A Silent, Unseen Shadow_

Midnight. The perfect time for the job he had been sent out to do. It was dark and everyone was asleep. Not that anybody would care about him sneaking into the house of this man anyway. Nobody liked the crabby old man that lived above the common stables. That was part of the reason he'd been sent on this job. The Master didn't like the old grouch.

Shimmying up the drainpipe he clung to the stables lattice work. Though the stables was placed in the Lower City it was one of the more attractive buildings, with trellises covering the brown brick walls. Roses wove in-between the wooden webbing, giving the building a picturesque look. If he'd been a romantic he would have expected to find two star-crossed lovers spouting sonnets at each other on clear, starry, moonlit nights.

As it was, he wasn't a romantic of any sort. The very idea of it all made him sick to his stomach. He could remember his parents making dove eyes at each other when he was younger. He hadn't liked it then and he didn't like it now. Thank the gods for cloud cover.

Leaning towards the window he oiled its hinges and then slid his knife into the small space between it and the sill. A little fiddling and urging was all the window needed to swing silently open. Double checking to make sure there was no movement in the room he slipped in; a silent, unseen shadow.

His soft boots made no sound on the rug covering the old wooden floor. He bent down a slipped his knife into his boot. It traded places with a small bag of very fine black powder. He stepped closer to the old man and slipped a thick yet soft, black, leather glove over his right hand. Two more steps and he was standing next to the old grump.

He reached into the small bag, pulling out a pinch of powder and softly spreading it under the man's nose. A short break in the clouds allowed just enough light to seep through the window so that he could see the old man breath the powder in. He stepped back and watched silently.

The old man breathed. In and out. In and out. Over and over again. Soon, his breath began to slow. In and out. In and out. In and...

It stopped.

He grinned viciously. "Poor old bastard," he whispered to the old man. "Nobody will cry at your funeral." And with that he slipped out the window and into the night; a silent, unseen, shadow.

A/N: May I say, "Holy...(censored)." That was interesting. Don't ask where it came from. I was compelled to write a prologue for this story and this is what happened. :D Kinda morbid really. Tell me what you think.


	2. Getting to Know the New You

A/N: Look! A real chapter w/ all your favorites! Thanks for all the reviews in the last chapter!

DISCLAIMER: B/c I don't think I had one in the last chapter. But whatever. Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Answers to krizsta's questions: **_Who's the old man?_ A random old man that I could afford to kill. _Who's the boy/young man?_ Ah...can't answer that one yet. _Why did he kill the old guy?_ Another secret yet to be revealed. _What's with disliking his parents being in love with each other?_ ::laughs:: I don't know. That'd be something to ask him when I next meet with him.

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 1 - Getting to Know the New You_

"Ribyyn?" called the soft voice of Jessalyn of Goldenlake. Ribyyn glanced over at her young friend. Jessa's golden locks glowed in the bright sunlight, giving her an angelic look. Ribyyn was not fooled by this; Jessa could be horrible if she wanted to be.

"What is it?"

"Is something wrong? You've been quiet the whole trip."

Ribyyn smiled. "We only left this morning. Besides, I'm fine. I've just been thinking. That's all."

Jessa grinned. "Thinking about _Darin_?" The tone at which the young noble spoke had just enough underlying hints to make Ribyyn blush bright red.

"Maybe," she said looking at her toes with interest. "But that's none of your business."

"Yes it is. I'm your friend, I've a right to know."

"Jessa, keep your pert little nose out of other peoples business," said Mindalyn of Conté. Though the king had left the day after Lord Alden's betrothal party, Min had decided to stay. She told her uncle it was because of Ribyyn. This made sense to the king, since his niece was once betrothed to Ribyyn's older brother; the boy's murder was the only thing that kept that from happening. It was Ribyyn, in fact, that knew the truth of the situation. Min had stayed so that she could spend more time with Hayden, who had left for Corus two days beforehand.

That was, in fact, where the three girls were headed. They were joined by Jessa's family; her father, his betrothed, and her younger brother and sister, as well as Min's two bodyguards. It was unseasonably warm for Midwinter, especially when the last week had been bitterly cold. The three teenagers had decided to take advantage of the lapse of cold weather, and were riding outside the carriage, rather than in.

Ribyyn was perched atop her horse, Bittersweet, a lovely honey colored mare with a dark mane and tale. She was a Midwinter gift from Slyde and Roank. The two men had made her promise to write weekly (or at least biweekly) and threatened to visit if she did not heed their request. Ribyyn had already written two letters. The last thing she wanted was her former guardians dropping in on her unexpectedly.

Jessa rode with Min behind the driver's seat of the carriage. Min had been hesitant about this at first, but after seeing how much the younger girl enjoyed it she could no longer resist the temptation.

Jessa sighed, leaned forward, and tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Will we be there soon?" she asked sweetly.

"M'lady, if ye keep askin' me that, I'm goin' t' have t' ask ye to go back in th' carriage."

"Jessalyn!" cried Lord Alden's deep voice, "Leave the poor man alone!"

Min grinned and Ribyyn giggled, as the driver chuckled to himself. Jessa merely pouted and slumped in her seat. She had the feeling that if they didn't reach Corus soon it was going to be a long ride.

~*~

Corus was, in short, the most amazing sight that Ribyyn had ever seen. Port Caynn was separated from the Tortallan capital by hills, which was very convenient when it came to sightseeing. The Oloron river cut through the colorful city and the castle towers gleamed in the sunlight. There was a maze of buildings and alleyways that was the Lower City, and then there was the colorful marketplace, with its bright tents and fruit stands. Past the market were the Nobles' Quarters, condominiums for the nobles that weren't staying in the palace. Beyond that was the temple district; its green gardens contrasted with the red brick road that ran right up to the palace gates. And after the palace gates, the palace itself in all it's glory.

"What's that?" Ribyyn asked pointing to a high tower on the palace. The scaffolding around it showed that it was still a work in progress.

"That tower?" asked Min. Ribyyn nodded. "That's Balor's Needle. Uncle's having it commissioned in honor of the court's black robe mage." She glanced around and called over one of her bodyguards.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"May I ride with Ribyyn into the city? I want to show her around." The man hesitated, but upon seeing the pleading look in his charge's eyes he folded.

"Can I come too?" asked Jessalyn.

Min faced the younger girl and said softly, "I think it would be best if you went with your family." Jessa's face fell so Min quickly added, "But I'll take you tomorrow. I promise!"

The young girl whispered, "You're going to see them aren't you?"

Min winked and smiled at her. "Shhh. Not a word."

~*~

Hayden Alexzander sat in a chair at the back table of The Inn, the Thief King's favorite place of residence. Darin had several others scattered around in various places of Corus; two in the lower city, one in the marketplace. There was also one hidden in the sewers of the Nobles' Quarters, but Darin didn't particularly like going there.

Hayden heaved a sigh. Corus was not as exciting as he'd thought it would be. To make it worse, Min had yet to arrive. He missed Min more than anybody else that had been in Port Caynn. That wasn't to say that he didn't miss Slyde, his brother, or Roank or his mother. He did. And he supposed that he missed Ribyyn a little, though it was hard when Darin missed the young woman enough for himself, Hayden, Slyde, and Roank combined.

Darin sat across from his younger friend. The boy had been miserable ever since they'd arrived in Corus. Darin could understand it though. Not only was Min not here, but she was the heir to the throne. Even after she arrived she would be spending most of her time at the palace, a place that was off limits to anyone in the thieving community.

Hayden sighed again and Darin rolled his eyes. "What're ye tryin' t' do? Collapse a lung?"

Hayden smiled weakly at the older man. "I'm bored, Darin," he wined.

Darin snorted. "Ye sound like Ribyyn."

"Been around her too long," Hayden said, trying to excuse his actions. His face took on a pensive look. "Ye think that's why I'm bored? 'Cause she ain't around here to cause trouble?"

"Ain't here _yet,_ ye mean," Darin corrected him. "Just you watch. The second she arrives you'll wish she was back in Port Caynn."

~*~

Ribyyn and Min road quietly through the city. Ribyyn was fascinated by almost everything, even though Port Caynn had twice as many market stands. In Port Caynn you could smell the sea, but here in Corus it was a different smell. A mixture of fresh air and river water. The same scent that was up at Hadic, but dulled because of all the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Min, do you know where we're going?"

"Yes," Mindalyn answered. "I've been to The Inn before."

"You have? By yourself?"

"No, with a cousin that's training for knighthood. He likes to go down there and flirt with the, erm-" She paused, searching for a word. "The, serving girls," she finished. Ribyyn raised a brow, knowing full well what serving girls did in their spare time. Min continued, "He didn't know I was there. But the place really is rather nice. I'm sort of surprised Darin told us that's where the thieves like to meet."

Ribyyn smiled. Perhaps being in Corus wouldn't be so bad if she had Min for a friend.

The two girls rode down a narrow street until they reached a whitewashed building. It was a rather quaint looking place, with a front porch and a swing on it, which was a rare find in any city. The building was large and looked as if it had once been a lower noble's household. Or perhaps the household of a higher merchant. Either way, it certainly didn't look like a place where a knight-in-training would go for a drink and a bit of fun.

Tying the horses up to the porch, they leapt up the stairs (there were only four) and pushed the door open. Ribyyn stopped at the doorway while Min continued on inside. The place didn't look _anything_ like the places where the thieves in Port Caynn met. In fact, it closely resembled the sitting room in the Alexzander's home. There was a couch and a few well-stuffed chairs, as well as a fireplace, two tables, and a bookshelf. And it was clean.

"Ribyyn, are you sure we're in the right place? I'm no longer so sure that Darin told us The Inn."

"Well I'm sure he did," said the ex-thief. Full of confidence, she walked right up to a man who was sitting behind a desk next to a staircase. She stood there for a moment until the man looked up and met her eyes.

"May I 'elp ye?" he asked politely.

"Yes," said Ribyyn. "I'm looking for a Darin Smith. I was told he was staying here."

The man leered at her, his face losing its polite mask. "Aye, he's 'ere. Who wants t' know?"

"Could you tell him that Rib and Minnie are here?" asked Min, stepping forward.

The man looked at them skeptically. Finally he gave a nod and told them to stay where they were while he went off to deliver their message.

~*~

"Y'er 'Ighness?" said a man by Darin's elbow. The king of thieves turned to find Errol, the man that had recently been put in charge of The Inn's front desk. "There's a couple o' ladies waitin' out in th' sittin' room for ye."

"Ladies?" Hayden asked, sitting up.

"Aye," Errol answered. "Two o' 'em. Say their names 'r Rib an' Minnie."

Darin leapt out of his chair, rushed out of The Inn's back room, and sprinted down the hall. Hayden was in close pursuit until the younger man tripped over his own feet. Darin ignored his friend's cries for help as he tried to right himself. Errol was left behind in the noisy, beer smelling room, confused and bewildered.

~*~

Ribyyn examined a painting hanging in the alcove of The Inn. It was a portrait of a young woman. She wore a gown of deep violet that contrasted sharply with her pale, creamy skin. Her dark, brown curls were done up on the top of her head and her full, shapely eyebrows rested over her intelligent blue eyes. She was very beautiful, almost flawlessly so, except for a small bump on the bridge of her nose, which was either inherited or the result of a break.

Ribyyn heard someone sigh over on her left. "What do you think is taking them so long?" asked Min.

"Maybe the man got lost," Ribyyn suggested in an attempt to appease her friend.

Min rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, ready to scold Ribyyn for saying such nonsense when a male voice cried out, "Ribyyn!"

Ribyyn whirled around to see Darin running down the hall. His blonde curls bounced around his face and his perfect teeth were in a wide grin. In a few moments he had her in his arms and was swinging her around in circles. She laughed gleefully. The last time she'd been swung through the air was when she was twelve. Her brother, Kalvin, had done it every time he saw her. He'd said it was because he loved to hear her laugh.

"Gods," Darin whispered in her ear, "I've missed you so much."

"Darin, you've only been gone for three days. At most!" Ribyyn said, pulling away from him and looking up into his sparkling green eyes.

He looked down into her bright blue ones and played with the end of her braid of long, deep red hair. "I know," he answered. "But I still missed you."

"Oh," sighed Mindalyn. "That's awfully sweet. Are you going to put your tongue in her mouth now?"

Ribyyn glared at the Heir. "Min!" she cried out, "That's disgust-" The remainder of her sentence was cut off when Darin's lips covered hers.

"Aren't they cute together?" said a familiar voice in her ear as Min watched her friend melt in the arms of the King of Thieves.

She turned to Hayden and smiled. "Do I get a welcome like that too?" she asked motioning over to the enamored couple. Hayden laughed, pulled her to him, and gently, but quickly, kissed her lips. Min sighed. "_That's_ not the same welcome."

Hayden grinned at her. His dark curls stuck out every which way and his emerald eyes were bright. After three days of moaning to Darin, Min was finally here in his arms. And now he found that he never wanted to let her go. He chuckled and brought his lips down to hers again.

Someone behind them cleared their throat. The two broke apart to see Darin and Ribyyn looking at them with great interest. Min blushed a deep red and Hayden just glared at the man. The Thief King raised a brow. "No more poking fun. Agreed?"

Hayden sighed. "I suppose." He dropped his arm from around Min's waist and gave her hand a squeeze. She looked up at him with an affectionate smile.

"If yer all finished swappin' spit, ye can come down here and introduce me t' yer lady friends," came a feminine brogue from down the hallway. A young woman stood there. She had coppery hair with shimmering golden highlights running through it. She looked to be about seventeen, though she was shorter than Ribyyn. Her stormy, gray eyes seemed to be filled with anger.

Darin smiled at the woman. "Copper," he said, "This is Rib and Minnie. Ladies, this is the infamous Copper Reslin."

Ribyyn smiled at the young woman. Copper glared at her and turned on her heel, heading towards the back. "Ferris's got a message fer ye, Darin. Says 'e wants ye t' meet 'im upstairs."

Darin sighed and released his hold on Ribyyn. "I'll be along in a moment, Love," he said to her. "Hayden, take 'em t' the back and get 'em something t' drink." Ribyyn grinned in anticipation. Darin saw this and smirked, "Something non-alcoholic." He heard the noble girl growl and he chuckled to himself and headed up the stairs.

~*~

"Ye wanted t' see me, Ferris?" Darin asked as he entered the upstairs room.

"Aye, Majesty," the man nodded and handed his king a piece of parchment.

"What's this?" asked Darin as he opened it up. Unfolding the letter, he quickly scanned it..

"So," he said quietly, "The old coot's dead?"

"Seems t' be. They say it's old age, but obviously yer man thinks different or 'e wouldn't be warnin' ye." Ferris closed his eyes and ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair. "I ain't sure what t' think though. If 'e was knocked off, an' I wouldn't blame somebody fer doin' it, they ain't left any clues. Whoever did it was a trained assassin an' trained well."

"D'you think it's got any connection t' last week's murder?"

"Perhaps, sire. But I'm only supposin'." Ferris stared at his king, his pale, blue eyes unblinking.

"Well," Darin sighed, "with so little information, there ain't nothin' I can do. We'll just have t' wait till he fouls up."

"If 'e fouls up," the Thief King's Second added.

Darin smiled at the older man, "Everybody fouls up sometime."

~*~

By the time Darin rejoined Ribyyn, it was dark outside. Despite all the noise in the room, the Thief King could hear the palace bells tolling twenty-first hour. It was late and he watched as Ribyyn and Min's energy wore away. Finally he grinned and pushed his chair back.

"C'mon, girls. We'd best get you back t' the palace."

"Palace?" asked Copper, raising her brow. She'd been a bit hostile towards the newcomers at first, but after a while she'd opened up. "Ye've brought _nobles_ in here?"

"Yes," Darin answered as he helped Ribyyn out of her chair. "If you've anything t' say against it you can take it up with me tomorrow mornin'."

"I ain't sayin' anythin'," she said with a grin. "Ye always did have a soft spot fer th' upper classes."

Darin grimaced and the red-head laughed merrily.

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but somehow he found himself headed for the palace, riding on Bittersweet with Ribyyn wrapped in his arms. Min rode ahead of them, quiet and tired. When they reached the end of the temple district he turned the horse into the shadows and dismounted. Min waited by the gate and watched her friends closely. Taking Ribyyn's hand, he held it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "You'd best go in, Rib," he said quietly. "They're probably worried."

"Where can I find you the next time I want to visit?"

"I wouldn't worry about that, Love," he chuckled. "I'll find you. Now come down so I can say good-bye like a proper gentleman." He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her off the horse.

"You?" she giggled as he held her close, "A proper gentleman? Hardly!" He smirked at her and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly. She sighed and tried to keep herself from moaning when he pulled away. Her attempt was unsuccessful.

"I hate to interrupt," said Min softly from where she stood, "but we really should go in now."

Ribyyn sighed and pulled away. "I suppose." She gave Darin a quick kiss and then mounted back up onto Bittersweet. "Come on, girl," she clucked to the horse. Silently, she and Min walked through the gate to the palace. Ribyyn turned around to wave a final goodnight to Darin, but when she did she saw that he was already gone.

A/N: Okay, that was kinda boring. But it was a first chapter, and entirely necessary. I just really wanted to get it over with. The next chapter will be better I promise, though it might not be up until after Christmas as I leave for Utah in a week. Review and I'll give you a cookie.


	3. Hiding in the Shadows and Playing in the...

A/N: ::swats at a cobweb:: Shoo, you stupid spiders! Shoo! ::stomps:: ::spider scurries away:: _STOMP! STOMP! _**SCURRY! SCURRY!**_ STOMP! STOMP!_** CRUNCH!** oops. ::AHEM:: I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE SO LONG! FORGIVE ME! Writer's block - BUT THAT'S NO EXCUSE! Y'know, I whine and complain to my almighty beta reader, who puts up with it for reasons unknown to me, about how I'm having so much trouble writing the stupid thing, and then I open up this stupid file to find that my chapter already had a title and a sentence in it. Not that a sentence is much, but it starts me off. Go figure. :)

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 2 - Hiding in the Shadows and Playing in the Light_

He blended in perfectly with the predawn shadows cast by the surrounding buildings. Dressed in black, his slim body flowed from one shadow to another unnoticed by passing strays and retiring night watchmen. Slipping into a dark alleyway he padded softly to the end. He crept behind a large crate to reveal a trap door in the broken cobbled stones. Pulling it up swiftly he slid into it, closing and locking it behind him.

He disarmed himself swiftly, knives flying from all their hidden sheaths. They came from his boots, his wrists, his front, his back; every place imaginable and more. It took only moments, and with the knives came his clothes. Tossing his shirt and breeches aside into a large, torn, and burnt armchair next to the rickety table that the knives rested on, he walked in stocking feet over to the bed, which was nothing more than a pile of old blankets and pillows.

"Another night complete," he said quietly to himself. "Another mark on the Shadow's list. I hope you're happy, _Master_." His voice was bitter, and if the Master had heard, he might begin to doubt the loyalty of his Shadow.

He sighed and lay back on the pile of blankets and pillows, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Outside, the sun rose and a soft breeze flew quickly through the snowy streets as the shadows of the night began to fade.

~*~

Ribyyn awoke to a small bird twittering at her window. It was a lovely bluebird day; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. On the ground was a thick, heavy blanket of snow that was the result of a late night snow storm, and proof that the warm weather was over.

She hopped out of bed with enthusiasm and rushed to the closet, enjoying the cold beneath her feet. She'd been in Corus for nearly a week, and tonight she was to be introduced, formally, to the court. However, she planned to enjoy her day with Jessa and Min, outside if it was possible. Dressing warmly, she ran a brush through her deep, red hair and then she quickly braided the long locks with nimble fingers. Throwing on a fashionable, yet warm, dress coat, she unlocked her door and entered the sitting room of the Goldenlakes.

Tiptoeing silently across the carpeted floor, Ribyyn knocked softly on the door of Jessa's room. The door flew open to reveal the fifteen-year-old dressed for the cold, in clothes that were practically identical to Ribyyn's. This was no surprise as, like most of the clothes in the girls' wardrobe, they'd both been tailored at the same place. However, Jessa's closet contained mostly purple, while Ribyyn's contained more green.

"It took you long enough!" Jessa hissed at the older girl. "It's past eighth bell!"

Ribyyn rolled her eyes. "Come on," she whispered, heading towards the door that lead to the hallway. "Quickly, before Orlando or Karoline wake up." As much as Ribyyn loved her friend's younger siblings, she'd rather not be stuck spending the day with them.

"What took so long?" Jessa asked as they entered the hall and headed towards the palace's entrance hall.

"I overslept, Jess. It happens to lots of people. If you were so annoyed, you should have come in and woken me up."

"I did that earlier this week and you yelled at me."

"Earlier this week I didn't make plans," Ribyyn replied. The walk was swift and when they reached their destination they saw Min. She was standing nervously in a corner, shifting herself from foot to foot, her eyes darting around the room.

"Finally!" she breathed with relief. "Let's go before the guards notice I left without them." She grabbed her friends' hands and dragged them outside.

A blast of cold air hit their faces. Ribyyn breathed it in. She loved the cold, fresh air and longed for her home in the mountains. She could remember Midwinter there. The rooms were decorated with pine boughs and dried berry garlands that she and Kalvin had made. The sent of cinnamon was everywhere and the outdoors smelt of cedar and pine. Midwinter in Corus was very different it seemed. Pine boughs still hung from the rafters in the ballroom, but the berry garlands had been replaced by silver ribbons. The cinnamon was drowned in the smell of cooked food for the dozens of nobles and courtiers attending the festivities. However, it was still the same outside; beautiful and snowy white.

The three teenagers raced to the center of the pages desolate training field. Jessa flopped down where she stood, spreading her arms and legs out and making herself properly snow covered. Min and Ribyyn soon joined their younger friend in a contest of who could make the best snow angel.

"I hate to interrupt," said a deep and amused voice near Jessa, "but, exactly what are you doing?"

Jessa opened her eyes and looked up into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. They were framed by long, dark lashes and topped by even darker brows. In between was a perfect nose and below were beautiful red lips. A strong jaw and high cheekbones finished off the lovely face that was topped with a mass of black, silky, hair.

The beautiful lips turned down into a frown. "It's impolite to stare," he said smoothly. _Gee_, thought Jessa, _I wonder who shoved a stick up his-_

"May we help you?" asked Ribyyn, interrupting Jessa's thoughts.

"Hmm?" His blue eyes moved to Ribyyn and widened at the site of her. Ribyyn seemed oblivious to his reaction. "Why yes, lovely lady," he said charmingly. His frown turned into a brilliant smile. "I was wondering, could you point me towards the pond? I'm to meet a friend there."

"It's back there, behind the trees, as you well know," said Min, waving her hand behind her. Her eyes held a look that Ribyyn had never before seen in them.

"Thank you, your highness," he said with another flash of his brilliant smile. "Perhaps the two of you would like to join me?" Jessa cleared her throat. The man looked over at her with a raised brow. "You can bring your little sister if you like," he added to Ribyyn. "We can teach her to ice skate." Jessa's jaw dropped in offense and she stood up, dusting herself off.

"Thank you for the invitation," she snapped, "but if it's all the same to you I must decline." She glared at the young man. He couldn't have been anymore than eighteen and it was obvious that he had been born and bred at court. Yet he had a look on his face that said he thought he'd seen absolutely everything. "I promised Lady Bryttany that I would spend some time with her today. Now is as good as later." And without so much as a goodbye she walked briskly back towards the palace.

"I wonder what got her skirts in a twist," the young man mused to himself.

"I can think of someone," Min said from behind him as she watched the girl enter the palace.

The man turned around to look at her. "Mindalyn, how could you be so rude? You haven't introduced me to your friend," he said, motioning towards Ribyyn.

"Ribyyn hardly needs an introduction," she said with a small smile on her face. "Mat, this is Ribyyn. Ribyyn, Sir Mathias of Fawks Ridge."

Sir Mathias took Ribbyn's hand in his own and held it to his lips, all the while keeping his eyes in contact with hers. "Does Ribyyn come from somewhere?"

"Not anywhere that's important to you," the princess answered.

"Ribyyn comes from Hadic," Ribyyn answered for herself, glaring at her friend.

"Ribyyn of Hadic?" Mathias asked. "As in, the daughter of the late Lord Jameson of Hadic?"

Ribyyn nodded. "He was my father. Did you know him?"

The young man shook his head. "No, but my father speaks of him often. He claims they were friends when they were children. So, you're the amazing young lady that escaped from the raiders. You must tell me everything!"

"There's not much to tell," Ribyyn insisted. She glanced anxiously over to Min.

Mat waved his hand at her. "As my grandmother would say, 'pish posh.' There must be _something_ to tell. You've been missing for nearly five years. Where have you been all that time?"

"She's been in Port Caynn, staying with a lovely family," Min explained. "If she wanted to tell you, Mat, she would. Now, didn't you mention ice skating?"

~*~

It was just after noon when Mat escorted the flushed and exhausted girls back to the palace.

"So," Mat said, "I assume you two are going to the Midwinter festivities tonight."

"You know I am," Mindalyn sighed. As the heir to the throne she was required to attend court functions. She despised them and loved them at the same time. Like any teenage girl, Min enjoyed dressing up for special occasions. It was fun to look pretty. But she hated socializing with people she hardly knew. The Midwinter holidays included much of the latter.

"And you, Ribyyn?"

"I'm being introduced," Ribyyn said. "Does that answer your question?"

Sir Mathias smiled at her with his blindingly white teeth. "Then," he said with a bow, "it seems I shall see you there. Until tonight fair ladies." With a final smile he turned around and headed towards the stables.

"So," Min said as she and Ribyyn made their way to the Goldenlake suite. "Your first encounter with a noble male of marriageable age. What do you think of him?"

"He's very handsome," Ribyyn said carefully, unsure of what point her royal friend was trying to make.

"Not to mention annoying, conceited, and self-centered. A lot of them are like that." Min continued to ramble on about, "the charming Sir Mathias and his equally charming friends," as they were known throughout the palace, until they had reached the Goldenlake rooms. Ribyyn dug into her pocket in search of a key.

"Blast!" she cursed. "I must have lost it outside." With a sigh, she knocked on the door of the apartment suite. Moments later it swung open to reveal Lady Bryttany, looking lovely as usual.

"Ribyyn, child!" Bryt said with a grin. "There you are! You're just in time."

"In time for what?" Ribyyn was immediately suspicious. Glynice had used that exact same tone of voice when she wanted Ribyyn or Hayden to perform a task that she knew they would not appreciate doing. It was sickly sweet and dripping with honey. Hayden had always called it a "the fly trap."

_"It's like this, Rib," he explained. "We're the flies and she's the honey paper. She **knows** that we don't wanna do it, so she tries to lure us in with her sweet smelling 'honey-voice.' If we aren't careful we're stuck forever."_

_"No," Slyde said. "Ma's better than honey-paper. Ye're only stuck until ye finish yer chores. Then she lets ye go. But ye always come back and get caught again later."_

"You're just in time to try on your lovely new gown!" Bryt said enthusiastically. Lady Bryttany entered the room she shared with Lord Alden for a moment. She returned with a dress of deep blue.

Ribyyn shot a panicked look at her friend. Min only smiled. "I'd love to stay, but Uncle says I have to attend council this afternoon. I'll see you tonight, Ribyyn!"

Ribyyn glared at her friend's retreating back and turned towards Lord Alden's fiancée. "Must I try it on? Again?"

"Honey," Bryt explained as she forced Ribyyn into her room, "You aren't just trying it on. You're wearing it." Ribyyn looked confused. "After it's properly adjusted we have to fix your hair, and apply your face paint, and then we have to teach you how to curtsey properly."

"But I _know_ how to curtsey properly!" Ribyyn insisted. "And it's only just after noon-"

"Sweetie, with you, it'll take hours. You can't sit still for more than two minutes!"

"All the more reason to start _later_! Or better yet, I'll wear this!" she said motioning towards the clothing she was wearing; a simple blue dress with snug fitting black boots.

Bryttany just laughed. "Ribyyn, you're being introduced to _court_. It may be Mid-winter, but the party is being held in your honor."

"My honor? But I haven't done anything honorable," she mumbled as she accepted the dress and slipped behind the changing screen. Lady Bryttany made no move to further continue the conversation.

Ribyyn emerged a few moments later, her hands wrapped in the laces that ran up the back of the dress. "I can't tie it properly," she explained with a woeful expression on her face. Bryttany smiled as she turned the girl around and untangled her hands.

"There," she said with finality. "Now, turn around so I can see if everything's right."

"It's too tight," the young girl insisted.

"That's because it's new and still stiff," Bryt explained. "It will feel better later, but only if you keep it on." Ribyyn moaned with aggravation and the older woman tried to suppress a laugh. "Now, sit down. It's time to play with your hair."

A/N: I am SOOOO sorry this took so long. Honestly I am. Forgive the grammar mistakes at the end of the chapter, by the time I was finished I was too impatient to wait for my Beta reader to check it. They'll be fixed later if I ever get around to sending it to her.


	4. Twas the Night of Midwinter

A/N: Yay, rah, me!  Look how soon I got this chapter up!  Wow… 40 some reviews for 2 crap chapters and a prologue.  I never thought I'd see the day.  This chapter will be a little better hopefully.

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 3 – Twas the Night of Midwinter_

Sunset.  In the distance the bells tolled six-o-clock.  The Midwinter celebration had started at long last.  Everybody who was anybody was at some form of celebration, whether it be in the royal palace or some slimy tavern.  But not The Shadow; The Shadow was a nobody.

He stood alone by the gates that separated the lower city and the market place.  After living in Corus his whole life The Shadow knew that the gates were locked only two days of the year; Beltane and the first night of Midwinter.

There would be no work for him tonight.  None of the less respectable people of the lower city worked on Midwinter or Beltane.  The thieves would celebrate, the assassins would join them.  The Shadow was neither.  The Shadow was a pawn.

He could remember when he was free, if you could call it that.  He was younger then; only seven when he officially joined a gang of thieves.  It was every boy for himself.  Trust no one.  Let no one see your pain.  Those were the rules.  The only trustworthy one was the kitchen maid who would heal the cuts and bruises after they were acquired.

Even so, it was more of a life than the one that he led now.  He had people to speak to.  He had a motherly figure; one that was more motherly than the woman who held the title.  The only favor she'd ever done him was give birth to him, and, considering the situation he was in, that was hardly a favor.

Looking back on it, those three years, from when he was seven to when he was ten, were the best years of his life.  It was then that he discovered why the thieves and assassins hardly worked on Midwinter, and never on Beltane.  It was embarrassing to break into a bedroom in which two people were in a rather compromising position.  Granted, that could happen at any time during the year, but it was more likely to happen on one of the major holidays.

There was a snap behind him and the slamming of a door.  A cat yowled.  A dog barked.  A woman laughed.  Sighing, he pushed himself off the wall and strode down the deserted streets, past the lighted taverns and the celebrations, to his dark, shadowy alley where he knew he was alone.  Where he was always alone.

(A/N: Sorry for the interruption.  ::sob:: I feel so sorry for my shadow man.  He's got a sob story.)

~*~

Ribyyn heard the bell toll.  Cursing out loud, she grabbed the dainty slippers that lay at the foot of the bed and rushed out the door.  Gathering up her skirts in one hand she ran as fast as her feet would take her to the palace ballroom.  Stopping outside the grand doors she carefully placed her feet in the delicate shoes.  Smoothing her skirts, she placed her hand on the door and gently pushed it open and slipped inside.

"You're late," said a deep voice from behind her.  Ribyyn whirled around to see Lord Alden of Goldenlake, looking tall, large, and impressive in emerald velvet.

"Sorry," she murmured out of the side of her mouth, averting her gaze to her feet.

Alden sighed and smiled.  "Bryt purposely kidnapped you early this afternoon in order to get you ready so that you wouldn't be late, and yet somehow you are.  Why am I not surprised?"

Ribyyn looked up at him and grinned, relieved to see that he wasn't upset.  "No matter," he said, placing a large hand on her shoulder and pushing her into the crowd.  "There's someone the king would like to introduce you to."

_And it starts_, Ribyyn said to herself as her foster father led her towards a circle of young men.

"Mathias," Lord Alden called out, and a familiar mop of dark hair turned around to reveal a familiar set of stunningly blue eyes.  "Mat," Lord Alden continued as the young man made his way towards them, "I'd like you to meet Ribyyn of Hadic.  Ribyyn this is-"

"Sir Mathias of Fawks Ridge," Ribyyn finished.  Lord Alden raised a brow.  "We met this morning," she explained.

"Nice to see you again, Lady Ribyyn," Mat said smoothly, ignoring the Lord of Goldenlake.  "I see that I was wrong in my earlier assumption."

"And what assumption would that be?" she asked as Alden slipped away discreetly.

"That there was no proper lady underneath all that grime."

Ribyyn bit her lower lip in thought, unsure of whether what he'd said should be taken as an insult or a compliment.  She never had the chance to make up her mind however.  "Mat!" cried a young man from behind the knight.  "Who's the beauty?"

Ribyyn felt her face go pink as Mathias's friends turned around.  Ribyyn could feel their eyes traveling up and down her body.  _Why must they stare so?_

"This, my dear friends," Mat said haughtily, "is Lady Ribyyn of Hadic."

"Lady Ribyyn of Hadic?" asked one of the young men, peering at her curiously.  His hair was a light auburn color that went well with his amazing green eyes.

"Forgive me for being forward," Ribyyn excused herself, "But would you kindly, _stop staring?"_

"You're Kalvin's sister?" asked a voice from her left.

Ribyyn blinked, caught completely unaware by the strange turn in the conversation.  Someone here knew her brother?  But how?  The Kalvin she knew was a very secluded person.  His best friend in the world had been Darin, the town blacksmith's son.  Beyond that, the only people Kalvin had ever spoken to were servants and family members.  Her family was dead, and Ribyyn highly doubted that any of the castle's servants were here, at the palace's Midwinter Party, socializing amongst the nobles.

She turned to the young man who had posed the question.  "How do you know my brother?"

"He was here as a page for a week or two, but had to leave for a…"  He paused in thought.  "What did he call it?" he asked, turning to a friend.

"A family crisis, I think," answered the young man with green eyes.

"Family crisis?" Ribyyn murmured, clearly confused.  She shook her head.  "How long ago was this exactly?"

"Gods," sighed Mat, deep in thought.  "Nearly ten years ago, I'd say.  It's so odd.  I knew who you were, and I knew who your brother was, but I just couldn't put two and two together."

Had Ribyyn been her normal self, she might have made a smooth comment about Sir Mathias's intelligence.  Instead she was determined to figure out this mystery.  If she thought about Kalvin hard enough she could vaguely remember him talking to her about going to the palace.  She could even remember visions of him leaving.  But for some bizarre reason, she couldn't remember him ever being away for an extended period of time.  And she certainly couldn't remember any family crisis.

"So," Mat continued with a flashy grin, "perhaps you could enlighten us as to what this family crisis was?"

Ribyyn glanced up at him.  "Let me think.  When he was ten, I would have been around seven."  She was quiet for a moment.  "I broke my arm when I was seven."

"Broke your arm?" asked the green eyed man.  "That's hardly a family crisis.  I broke mine when I was five.  And again when I was nine."

"And eleven.  And fourteen.  And seventeen.  And again last year when you decided to do saddle tricks after drinking three or four glasses of wine.  For you, Madsen, breaking an arm is a common occurrence," said a feminine voice from behind Ribyyn.  She turned to see Min standing behind her with a wide grin on her face.

"Did I ask you, Minnie?" Madsen snapped.  "I don't think I did."

Min just smiled innocently.  "Ouch.  You should be nicer to your cousin, Madsen, especially since she'll be queen some day."

"Well, when that day comes I'll be nice.  But that day isn't now, so I'll pick on you when I want to."

"He's your cousin?" Ribyyn whispered to Min.

"On my father's side.  That's why he's not eligible for the crown."

"Where were we before we were so _rudely_ interrupted?" Madsen continued, ignoring the princess.  "Oh yes, the Hadic Family crisis.  Please, Ribyyn, continue."

"I'm sorry," she said softly.  "I can't quite remember any of it.  That whole year is a blur for some reason.  I'll have to ask Darin."  Ribyyn realized what she had said quite suddenly and slapped her hand over her mouth before she said something she really didn't want to.

"Darin?" asked one of Mat's friends.  "Who's Darin?"

"I'm really not allowed to tell you that," Ribyyn said quickly.

"Oh, come on," Madsen insisted.

"No.  Really, I shouldn't."  Ribyyn looked desperately over at Min.  "I think I've said quite enough already.  Besides, Min still needs to introduce me to her friends.  I shall see you later, gentlemen."  Ribyyn curtseyed and then grabbed Min by the wrist and dragged her away.

"That was an awfully close call," Min said quietly.  "You'd best be careful what you say from now on."

"I know," Ribyyn whispered back.  "Believe me, I know."

~*~

Jessalyn sat by one of the large bay windows, curled up with her knees at her chest and desperately trying to keep a bored face on.  It was difficult with Ribyyn and Min's new best friend, Mathias, in view.  Gods, the man was such a cursed snob!  It wasn't fair that he was so handsome at the same time.

Sighing, she turned her head so that it faced the window and closed her eyes.  Parties had always bored her, but this one was particularly boring.  However, she couldn't go and tell her father that.  He'd simply laugh and say, "I told you so."  The night before Jessa had insisted that she be allowed to come.  Ribyyn and Min were going to be there, so there was no possible way she could be bored.  Unfortunately, she hadn't expected Sir Mathias and his friends to come into the picture.

There was a tapping on the window and she opened her eyes and gasped, falling off the window seat.  Rising up onto her knees, she stared at the face in the window, attempting to recognize it.  It was in shadow, facing away from the setting sun that blinded her eyes.  She squinted at it as the person tapped again.  Above the music playing in the background she heard a faint call of, "Jessie, let me in!"

"_Darin?" she whispered to herself.  Climbing back onto the window seat she grabbed the curtains and pulled them closed.  Turning around she unlatched the window and watched as Darin climbed up onto the window seat.  Standing, he straightened his tunic and hose, both of which looked to be rather expensive.  _A bit **too expensive for the king of thieves, I'd say**_, thought Jessa.  "Darin, what are you doing here?" she asked as she watched him._

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" he asked, pausing and waiting for her to answer.  The young girl just stared at him blankly.  "I'm attending the Midwinter party."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like it," he said, giving his tunic and shirt one last tug.  "How do I look?" he asked as he struck a pose.

Jessa looked up at him from where she sat at his feet.  "Your hair's mussed."  The thief frowned, running his fingers through his messy blond locks in an attempt to put them in some order.

He smiled down at his young friend.  "Better?"  She shrugged, watching him intently.  "You're useless," he told her jokingly, but saw her face fall.  "Something wrong?" he asked, his voice concerned.

She shrugged.  "I'll get over it."

"If you say so," Darin said, doing his best to talk like a noble as he closed the window and locked it again.  He carefully pulled back one of the thick, heavy, blue curtains and glanced around the room in search for Ribyyn.  Spotting her, he jumped off the window seat and made his way towards her.  Looking back towards Jessa he winked and was then lost in the crowd of people.

Jessa sighed and returned to staring out the window and daydreaming.

~*~

Ribyyn sipped her glass of punch as she listened to Min gossip with a friend.  Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she sighed and rolled her eyes, expecting to see Mathias.  However, when she turned around, she found herself staring into laughing green eyes topped by a sweep of blond curls instead of the mesmerizing blue eyes and coal black hair she had anticipated.  She gasped in shock and delight and dropped the glass she was holding, shattering the crystal and spilling the punch all over her skirts.

Min and her companion turned to see a young man with blond hair dip down to pick up the glass with a napkin that lay on a nearby table, while Ribyyn furiously tried to wipe the punch stains off her dress.

"Ribyyn?" asked Min, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ribyyn answered quickly as she rubbed the dress with a damp cloth that a page had handed her.  "Nothing at all.  Continue talking, I'll be fine."

Min shrugged and turned back to her friend, launching herself back into the conversation.

"What are you doing here?" Ribyyn hissed at her friend, as Darin handed the napkin holding the crystal to the nearby page and warned him to be careful with it.  "Do you realize what will happen to you if you get caught?"

"I'm not going to get caught if you don't give me away," he replied softly.  "Now act natural."  He smiled at her and said a bit more loudly, "I apologize, my lady.  I did not mean to startle you.  I was simply going to ask if, perhaps, you would join me in this next dance."

Ribyyn blinked, instantly suspicious.  "Why?"

Darin laughed, making Ribyyn feel more at ease, and offered her his arm.  Sighing, she appeared to be thinking about it.  He saw her look over his shoulder and then her eyes flashed and she smirked.  She placed her hand on his arm and he led her towards the center of the room.  Glancing over his shoulder he caught Min's eyes and smiled at her.  Recognizing him, she smiled back.

Quite a bit of time passed and Ribyyn had hardly spoken a word, a rare occurrence when it came to her.  She also still had a sly smirk plastered onto her face.  "All right, Ribyyn," he said, breaking the silence.  "What's with the smile?"

"Oh," Ribyyn said flippantly, "I've just managed to drop a potential suitor."

"Have you?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes," she said, her smirk turning into a grin.  "Frankly, I'm quite proud of myself."

"Shouldn't you be thanking me as well as congratulating yourself?"  She glanced up at him with questioning eyes.  "After all, you wouldn't have been able to drop the suitor without my help.  If I hadn't come-"

"Why are you here anyway?" she interrupted him as he spun her out.

"Is there a problem with me being here?" he asked, instantly regretting the question.

"You mean other than the fact that you could be arrested?"

"Won't be the first time," he answered with a smile.

"That was rhetorical."

He laughed and Ribyyn smiled at him.  "Oh Gods, Ribyyn, I've missed you.  You haven't visited me all week.  I'd thought you'd forgotten me."

"Forget you?  Never."  She sighed and her smile faded.  "Lady Bryttany hasn't allowed me to go into the city this week, at least, not without her.  And even if I could go into the city whenever I wanted to, going everyday might be a tad suspicious."

"True enough," Darin agreed.  "I suppose this means I have to come here and visit you more often."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"My dear Ribyyn," he answered, "Since when have I ever been wise?"

She replied with a gleeful laugh that made his heart beat faster.  "I suppose you have a point," she said and paused in thought as the music stopped.  "Could we go outside for a moment?  We'll be able to talk a bit more freely out there."  Darin nodded and followed her to the garden's edge.

"Where did you get the clothes?" she asked, as if realizing for the first time that they were not the clothes that he normally wore.

"I bought them."  Ribyyn raised a brow.  "Honest," he insisted, "they wouldn't fit so well otherwise.  Though, I will admit, the money I bought them with was not obtained in such a noble fashion."

Ribyyn grinned, "Well, at least I know you haven't changed any."

"Why would I have changed?"

"I don't know," she said with a shrug.  "You know, my worst nightmare is that you'll meet some beautiful blonde with dimples and an oversized chest and you'll never want to speak to me again."  She smiled, but Darin saw past the façade.

"Now why would you think that?" he asked jokingly.  "Surely, you know that I'd have the decency to _tell_ you I never wanted to see you again."  She looked up at him, her normally happy blue eyes sparkled and he saw the tinge of sadness.  He became serious, "Ribyyn, if a fifteen-year-old can fall in love with his best friend's thirteen-year-old sister, and four years later still feel the same way about her, you've nothing to worry about.  Trust me."

Her sad eyes once again became happy, and she grinned.  Then, standing on the tips of her toes, she placed her lips on his.

He smiled down at her.  "Gods, I've missed that," he said and kissed her again.  When he pulled away he said, "Min knows I'm here.  If we don't go back in soon she'll think I've talked you into running away with me."  He paused and his smile turned into a grin.  "Again."

Ribyyn laughed as she took his hand and they walked back into the palace and the stuffy, overcrowded ballroom.

Neither of them saw the pair of dazzlingly blue eyes watching them.

A/N:  Oh yes that chapter was definitely MUCH better than the last two.  At least in my opinion.  5 pages!  Review and you get a cookie!


	5. When Shadows Cannot Be Seen

A/N: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Okay, before I start I'd like to say two things.  One: Don't ever let anybody tell you that the author controls the story and the characters.  This chapter has really made me discover that the characters really do have minds of their own.  Two:  Here's the action and such that people have wanted so badly… :D  Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 4 – When Shadows Cannot Be Seen_

The Shadow cringed as he walked silently past the home where he would make his rounds that night.  Inside he could hear husband and wife screaming at each other and the cries of little girl.  He smiled sadly.  They wouldn't be screaming at each other tomorrow.  They'd be dead tomorrow.  They'd be dead and The Shadow would be a wanted criminal.

Up until now, all the deaths had been old men and women.  No young couples, no children, and no blood.  Every one of his victims had been either suffocated or poisoned.  Tonight would be different.

The Shadow winced.  He hated bloodshed; it was so pointless and messy.

He sighed.  He wouldn't be able to sneak into the house until Midnight at least.  Slipping into an alley, he sat on a crate to wait for the time when shadows could not be seen. 

~*~

Ribyyn sighed as she stood patiently outside her friend's bedroom door.  "Jessa," she called again.  "Please open the door.  I can't apologize until I know what I did wrong."

Surprisingly, the door opened.

"See?  Was that so hard?"  Ribyyn attempted a smile but Jessa's frown only deepened and she turned to try and slam the door in the older girl's face.  Ribyyn stopped the door by placing her foot in front of it.  "Jessa!" she cried, losing patience.  The hold on the door relaxed and it slowly swung open.  Ribyyn didn't wait for an invitation to enter the room and sit down on the bed next to her young friend.

"Why are you angry at me?" she asked innocently.

"Why do you think?  You've ignored me ever since you met the lovely Sir Mathias.  Can't you tell he's a snob?" Jessa glared at her friend angrily.

"That's why you aren't talking to me?  Because you're annoyed that Fawks Ridge is following me around?"  Jessa nodded sadly and looked at her feet.  Ribyyn grinned broadly.  "Gods!  That man is insufferable.  I thought I had thrown him off when he saw me dancing with Darin at Midwinter, but it only made him more determined!"

"He's worshiping the ground you walk on," Jessa said with a smile.  "Why don't you just tell him to go away?"

"Because that would be impolite, improper, and un-Lady-like," Ribyyn reprimanded the girl, and then grimaced.  Rolling her eyes she flopped onto her back.  "Goddess, I sound like my step-mother.  Don't ever tell Darin I said that."

"I haven't seen Darin since First Night, two weeks ago."

"Neither have I.  They won't allow me into the city without a male escort.  Going alone is-"

"Improper and un-Lady-like," Jessa finished, grinning.  Lady Bryttany had been attempting to teach the young girl how to act like a 'proper lady.'  Her efforts were to no avail; without Alden enforcing heavy restrictions Jessa was able to do whatever she wanted short of going into the city alone.

"Precisely," Ribyyn said.  "However, I've found that I am always able to try something once before they scold me and lock me up.  I realize that I have been ignoring you recently, and I'm sorry for it.  To make it up to you, I think we could use a nice, brisk ride, and perhaps a picnic, all by ourselves, since it's strangely, yet pleasantly, warm for January.  How does that sound to you?"

Jessa grinned, ecstatic to have her closest friend to herself for the afternoon.  "That sounds wonderful.  Let's go!"

~*~

The sun was well past its zenith.  Ribyyn rested, stretched out on the bank of the River Oloron, while Jessa lay comfortably in a tree soaking up the warmth of the sun.  The two girls had shed their heavy cloaks and relaxed only in wool gowns.

Ribyyn sighed.  It was so nice to just relax in silence with one of her friends.  Her life had been so hectic for a time, especially after her arrival in Corus.  And now she had Sir Mathias chasing her…

"Ladies," a familiar, and unwanted, voice broke the peaceful silence.  "You do know that it's dangerous to be alone in the King's Forest, don't you?"

 Ribyyn sat up and turned her head to see Sir Mathias approaching them.  _Speak of the devil_…  "Sir Mathias," she said, nodding politely in his direction.  "I understand your concern, but I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm sure you are, but what of your young friend?"

"She's very competent in that area as well," Jessa answered for herself from her spot behind the young man.  "Now, would you kindly _leave us be_?  We were enjoying ourselves."

"There's no need to be rude about it," Mathias said, a bit put off by the young girl's attitude toward him.  "I was trying to be friendly."

"And I was trying to tell you that we don't need your help and that you are excused from our presence," Jessa retorted glaring furiously at him.  _Goodbye Sir Mathias_, she said to herself, willing him to leave.

Unfortunately, the young knight was neither a mind reader nor very smart.  He simply refused to go.  "Lady," he said, turning to Ribyyn.  "Do you feel this way as well?"

Ribyyn immediately bit her tongue to prevent a rude comment from escaping her mouth.  "In all honesty, Sir Mathias," she said through clenched teeth, "I do believe we'll be just fine by ourselves.  There's no need for you to stay."

Mathias nodded and smiled stiffly.  "As my lady wishes," he said softly and gave a small bow.  Then he turned on his heel and walked swiftly out of the clearing.

Jessa waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before jumping out of the tree and rushing to her friend's side.  Flinging her arms around the older girl in a tight hug she grinned broadly.  "That was wonderful!" she exclaimed.  "You're amazing, Ribyyn!  You told him to leave and he did!"

"That is usually how it works," Ribyyn said softly.  Biting her lip she looked at her young friend.  "But if it was all so wonderful, why do I feel so guilty?"

Jessa thought for a split second before smiling and answering.  "Ribbyn, he's male.  He's not worth worrying about, and he'll be over you by this evening.  Come on," she said as she rose to her feet.  "Let's go explore the forest some more."

~*~

Sir Mathias of Fawks Ridge stomped through the woods, angry at himself for leaving Ribyyn alone in the woods.  Well, not quite alone, but without any real protection.  He doubted very much that she could defend herself against a wolf, and he doubted even more that her childish friend could be of any help in any situation.  He sighed to himself.  Young Jessalyn of Goldenlake was such a pain in rear.  Why did Ribyyn spend time with her?

Mat mused to himself.  Ribyyn of Hadic was such a mystery.  First there was her brother, Kalvin.  Although he hardly remembered the boy he did remember that there had been something strange about him.  He showed up in mid-January, joining the pages when they were already half way through their first year.  And then two weeks later he left, claiming a family crisis.  Then, years later, Hadic gets attacked with the reports claiming no survivors, but four years afterwards Lord Jamison's only daughter reveals herself to be alive and well and the heir to a huge fortune she's not allowed to have unless married.

Mat wondered if the girl was _aware_ she was that rich.  It didn't particularly matter; she was going to be his, whether she liked it or not.  All Mathias had to do was convince the King and the Lord of Goldenlake that they were desperately in love and could not live without each other.  Ribyyn was making it difficult.  He could never find her alone; she was either with that annoying Goldenlake girl or Princess Mindalyn, and whenever he tried to _get her alone she found some excuse.  Today was, however, the first time she'd flat out refused.  She was polite about it, but Mat had no trouble seeing through the façade._

And then, there was that mysterious young man that he'd seen her with on that first night of Midwinter.  He supposed this was the strange Darin that he'd heard her mention briefly, but he wasn't entirely sure.  For being in Corus for such a short time she made 'friends' quite quickly.  What was so odd about the whole thing was that the young man didn't even act like a noble.  He walked and spoke like some commoner found in the streets of Corus.

He sighed deeply, his mind set.  In order to win Ribyyn over Mathias would first have to dispose of her pesky friends; Jessalyn of Goldenlake and the mysterious young man from Midwinter.  The Goldenlake girl would be easy to get out of the way; all he had to do was send one of his friends after her.  She was young enough and naïve enough to fall for one of the handsome young men.  If she was too busy to spend time with Ribyyn then that would mean Ribyyn would have more time for him.  It would probably cost him a _fortune to pay one of his friends to spend time with that _child_, but if he won Ribyyn money would be the least of his worries.  As for Ribyyn's 'companion', well, Mat was certain that if he kept the girl busy enough she wouldn't have time to spend with anyone but himself.  Ribyyn would be his by the end of spring.  He was certain of it._

~*~

The Shadow was thankful that there was no moon tonight.  Working with moonlight made him nervous; there was a greater chance that he could get caught.  Usually he worked with cloud cover, but the Master had insisted that this job be taken care of within the month and January was already half over.  Using a moonless night was better than waiting for a cloudy one.

He wondered why he'd ever gone to work for the Master.  The Shadow had never seen Him, never even heard His voice; all the jobs he got were through verbal messengers.  The Master would not take the chance of one of the royal guardsmen intercepting a written message.  And if the messenger was caught he was as good as dead; the amount of spells placed on him would kill him if he so much as thought of saying anything that would betray the Master.

The Shadow had become one of the Master's underlings after he'd been caught sneaking into a noble's home.  He could remember it perfectly; the smell of the oil has he dripped it over the hinges of the window, the soft breeze that flew past him and into the bedroom, the smell of blood when he climbed into the house.  Suffice to say, it was not his favorite memory.

The one to catch him had been the Master's current "shadow-man," at least that was what the man called himself.  The shadow-man had taken the young boy to where he stayed.  He needed to consult the Master on what to do with him.  He couldn't just let the boy go; the Master would have killed him otherwise.

_"I hope fer yer sake 'e finds a use fer ye'," the shadow-man said.  "I hate t' see such a nice boy like yer'self end up dead in th' streets, an' I hate t' be th' one t' kill ye'."_

_The young boy gulped.  "I'd hate t' die, sir," he answered.  The shadow-man stared at him for a moment before chuckling deeply._

_"Well, lad, with an attitude like that, I'd say ye' had a fair chance of livin' t' see tomorrow."_

Oh, how he wished the shadow-man had been wrong.  In the ten or so years that had passed that was the one thing The Shadow wished for, death.  Death would have been preferable to this hell.  He often wondered why he didn't just kill himself.  He'd attempted it a few times, but he either lived through it or chickened out.  He always berated himself later for being weak.

Sighing deeply, he pulled himself up the drainpipe connected to the side of the home.  This would be the first known murder in the middle class homes of Corus in nearly fifteen years.  By the time the news reached the important folks up at the Palace, the whole city would already know what had happened.  He only hoped that he would be able to go through with it.

The Shadow coated the hinges of the window in oil, watching it as it dripped off and slid down the side of the building.  Slipping his knife out of his boot he slipped it in between the two shutters and slid it up, unlocking the window.  After carefully replacing the knife into its sheath and opening the window he climbed silently into the room.

The little girl that had been sobbing earlier that day was sleeping peacefully in the trundle that lay by the window, as far away from her parents' bed as possible.  The man and the woman slept serenely on the same mattress as far apart from each other as they could be.  The Shadow was surprised to see this.  He could vaguely recall when his parents used to fight the way this couple did.  They never slept in the same house, much less the same bed.  He looked down at the child and sighed.  He couldn't have her waking while he was killing her parents.  Pulling a packet of crushed up dreamrose petals out of his pocket he knelt and dusted some underneath her nose.  She was sure to sleep until late in the morning now.  By the time she woke he'd be long gone.

Rising and turning around he made his way over towards the couples bed.  Swallowing the lump in his throat he pulled his long dagger out of its scabbard and tiptoed closer.  He paused when he reached the edge of the bed and stood near the wife.  This should be the point where his conscience started to nag him even after all these years.  However, for some reason, his conscience urged him on and he wasn't sure why.  After looking down out the woman he understood.  Most people looked innocent in their sleep, yet her face was contorted and twisted with guilt.  He could see that her dreams plagued her.

Taking a deep and swift breath he grabbed the top of the woman's head pulling it back to expose her neck.  Her eyes opened and she saw him, his knife raised.  She opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a muffled, choking, gurgling noise as he slit her throat.  Blood poured out of the wound and down the front of her nightgown and his black shirt.

The Shadow carefully lay her back down on the mattress.  _One down, one to go_.  Glancing across the bed at the husband he saw that the man hadn't stirred at all.  In fact, he was snoring rather loudly.  Tiptoeing around the end of the bed he came to the other side to deliver the same, swift, death blow to the man.  The only difference was he didn't wake at all.  The Shadow could smell the ale on the man's breath as he slit his throat.

Wiping his blade on the sheets he returned it to its scabbard.  Walking swiftly to the window he pushed the shutters back open and lifted a leg to climb back out the window, but a whimper at his feet made him glance down.  The little girl still slept soundly, but every once in a while a whimper or cry would escape her mouth.  Looking back over towards the bed his conscience finally got the better of him.  Bending over, he picked the girl up, wrapping her carefully in her blanket.  Lifting her to his shoulder he climbed out the window and slid down the drainpipe.

When he reached the ground he gently lay the child down.  Then he pulled off his bloodied boots, shirt, and breeches, redressing himself with the clean clothes that were in a small bag lying near the crate he'd sat on for most of the day.  Shoving the bloody clothes in the bag to be burned when he returned to what he called his home he slung it over one shoulder and then lifted the girl up, her head lying on his shoulder and her warm breath blowing on his neck.

He walked down the dark streets of Corus, noting that the bell rang only once.  One a.m.  He hadn't known he'd spent that long at that house.

Turning down another street he came to the building he was looking for; the orphanage.  Not the same one he'd been sent to after his mother died, the one he'd run away from after only a week or so.  No, this was the one for the rich, well off children and run by the Daughters of the Goddess.  Tenderly placing the girl by the door he pulled a pouch out of his pocket.  This one was heavy with gold coins.  He laid it by the girl's head, hoping that this good deed would make up for at least one of his many bad ones.  Before rising, he took a good look at her.  She slept so peacefully, but there was a large bruise around her eye, and deep cuts by her throat.  He wondered offhandedly if she would miss her parents when she found out they were dead.  Biting his lip he made a swift decision and kneeling over he kissed her gently on the head.  Then he rose and knocked loudly on the door, hoping one of the Daughters was awake to answer.

He jumped into the shadows to wait and see what would happen.  Moments later the door opened, revealing a young woman in dark green, healer's robes.  He saw the woman gasp as she bent down to examine the girl's health.  Gold fire poured out her fingers and covered the child briefly before it faded.  The Daughter seemed to be convinced that no real harm had come to the young girl.  It was then that she noticed the pouch that lay by the girl's head.  The Shadow watched as she picked it up and opened it.  Her eyes widened at the amount of coin in it.  Tightening the bag she tied it onto her wrist in then lifted the child up to carry her inside.

As Daughter Sondra stood up, she glanced around, looking for the person who had left such wonderful gifts at the door of the orphanage.  She saw nothing but shadows.

~*~

Ribyyn and Jessa slipped silently into the Goldenlake suite.  It was late, well past curfew.  They'd been back since just after sunset, but had felt compelled to skip the evening's banquet.  Instead, the two girls had gone to one of the Palace's numerous libraries.  Together, they spent the evening reading fictitious tales of dragons and knights and kings from far away lands.  It was quite childish, they knew, but it was enjoyable.

Jessa clicked the door closed behind her.  She had tried to make it as quiet as possible but it seemed so loud in the silent room.  The two girls waited for a moment before sighing gratefully.

"I don't know what you two are so relieved about," said a deep voice from the large armchair.  There was a flare of light as Lord Alden lit the candle that rested on the table next to him.  "Do you girls have any idea how late it is?"

"Past midnight bell," Jessa said softly.  "I'm sorry, Papa.  We didn't intend to come back this late."

"Well then what time _did you intend to come back at?" he asked, his voice rising.  "You've been gone all day!  Its past __first bell, Jessalyn!  Where have the two of you been?"  Jessa realized quite suddenly that her father was furious.  He never raised his voice at her, ever._

"We were in the library," Ribyyn said quietly, uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"All day?" Lord Alden's voice, although it was softer, still held a note of anger.

"We went for a ride in the forest," Jessa told him, watching her feet.

"Alone?" he asked.  The anger had faded completely, but there was some other emotion in his voice.  One that neither Ribyyn nor Jessa could place.

The girls nodded and Alden sat down heavily in the armchair.  "Girls, you can't go off by yourselves," he scolded them.  "The forest is dangerous.  There are wolves in there and–"  He paused when he heard a quiet knock on the door.  Sighing, he rose once again from the chair to open it.

The king stood there, a folded piece of parchment clasped in his hands.  His knuckles where white and his face was pale with either exhaustion or fright, though it was hard to tell.

"Your Majesty?"  Lord Alden was clearly confused.  Even so, his manners remained in tact.  "Come in, please."  The king obliged silently and sat down on the large and comfortable couch in the sitting room.  Alden sat down in the armchair he'd occupied only moments earlier and Ribyyn and Jessa watched from where they stood.  "Is something wrong?"

The king raised a brow, and for a moment Alden thought that the man was about to burst out in laughter.  However King Jonathan the First only grimaced and said, "Yes, I believe something is."  He held out the parchment and handed it to his closest friend and advisor.  Accepting it, Alden slowly unfolded the note.  As he skimmed it, he turned pale.

"Papa?" Jessa asked, interrupting the silence that had once again claimed the room.  "Papa, what is it?"

Lord Alden glanced at the king, who rose to his feet and nodded.  Sighing Alden stood up and entered his bedroom.  He came out a few minutes later, fully dressed.  Looking down at the girls he said, "There's been a murder in the city.  I have to go down and check it out.  You two go to bed, and I do not want you to leave your rooms until I say you can.  Is that understood?"  The girls nodded solemnly.  "Good," he said with finality.  Leaning over he placed a kiss on each of their heads.  "Go to sleep.  I'll see you tomorrow morning."  He walked towards the king, who stood by the door.

"Papa," Jessa said softly, and Alden turned around to look at his eldest daughter.  "Be careful," she warned.

Alden of Goldenlake smiled.  "I will be, Jessa.  I will be."

~*~

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  Okay then.  So it wasn't exactly _action per se but it WAS a murder…  The plot has thickened immensely, and it's only about to get thicker--- If you review, I'll get the next chapter up faster.  Nice, pretty, long reviews give me inspiration.  Temptress gives me inspiration too when I rant to here, but she seems to have dissaperated as of late.  That's why you need to forgive me for any grammer/spelling/missed words and other mistakes made in this chapter.  No beta reader._


	6. The Aftermath

A/N: OMG!! I'm sooooo sorry this chapter took forever.  I think its cause it's one of those necessary but pointless chapters.  It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to come up with chapters.  This is mostly because I have other things on my mind, but also because I know exactly where this story is going, but I just need to get there, and that's making my life hard.  Stupid characters aren't cooperating with me.  They want to do it their way.  At this rate, I'll never get a noble killed – whoops.  Did I say that outloud?

This chapter's pretty pointless, but Darin, Hayden, Roank, and Slyde are in it, so it can't be all that bad.

Note to Karina:  I didn't mean to say that wolves are evil and attack people all the time.  I understand that they have a great dislike of being around people and tend to avoid them.  But it's for the sake of the story.  I needed a danger and immortals aren't around.  Besides, ever seen 'Le Pact des Loupes' (Or however you spell it. I can't be bothered to look it up) AKA 'Brotherhood of the Wolf'?

And, uh, no vacations until APRIL, when I get to go college visiting and such.  And after that… slack time!  Yay, end of senior year!

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 5 – The Aftermath_

Jessa glanced warily over at her foster-sister after her father had shut the door behind him.  "Do you think-?"

"No, I _don't_ think he was involved in it," Ribyyn replied before the girl could finish her sentence.

"But you aren't sure?"

"No.  I'm not."  Ribyyn bit at her lip and stared at the door.  A cold look of determination flashed over her face.

"Papa said to stay here," Jessa warned her friend, but by now Ribyyn's mind was set.

"I know," she answered as she pulled on her coat.

"So you can't leave!" the younger girl hissed.  "Ribyyn, it's late and there was just a _murder_ in the city.  You can't go down there _alone_ in the middle of the night! It's dangerous!"

"How many times have I heard that phrase today?" Ribyyn muttered to herself, ignoring Jessa's warnings as she slipped her boots back on.

"Rib, please!  Be reasonable about this…"

"I _am_ being reasonable," Ribyyn said forcefully.  "Jess, I have to know if he's connected to this in any way at all."

"And if he is?" Jessa asked but she didn't wait for an answer.  "If he is he'll be in trouble.  There'll be a fat reward hanging over his head."

"Then I'll just have to get him out of it," Ribyyn answered.  She opened the door and turned back towards Jessa.  "Don't wait up for me," she said before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

~*~

Darin woke up suddenly when he heard somebody sliding open the window next to his bed.  Opening his eyes he saw a small figure slip in as quietly as possible.  Once in the room the person turned around and shut the window, latching it closed.

Meanwhile, Darin had slid silently out of bed and picked up the dagger that lay under his pillow.  Tiptoeing over to the window he grabbed the intruder roughly around the shoulders, holding their head against his bare chest and laying the blade at their throat.

"Knock much?" he asked in a deep, threatening voice.

"Darin," said a feminine rasp.  "Darin, it's me!"

Darin froze and dropped the blade to the floor with a clatter.  Releasing his hold on his prisoner he whirled the intruder around and found himself staring into the deep cerulean blue eyes of Ribyyn.  Letting out a deep breath he sat down hard.  "Mithros, Rib!  I could have killed you!"

"I know," she said as she stared down at him.

Darin gasped and glanced up at her.  "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Darin, there are more important things going on right now."  Her voice was serious, and he could tell that her face was equally so, even with the lack of light.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he watched her walk over towards the bed.  She grabbed something that lay at the end and tossed it at him.  Realizing that they were his breeches, he hurriedly pulled them on, thankful that the dark hid not only his body, but his deep blush.  He saw the flash of white on her face as she grinned.

"I'm going to tell you something," she said as she walked back towards him and then sat down in front of him.  "And I want you to listen carefully."

"Alright."

"There was a murder tonight," she said bluntly, "somewhere in this city.  I suppose it was in the middle class or above, since Jessa's father got called away to take a look.  Now I want you to look me in the eye and tell me truthfully that you know absolutely nothing about it."

"Well, at one point I suppose I did know nothing about it.  Now, however-"

 "Darin…"  Her voice held a note of warning.

Reaching out, Darin gripped her shoulders.  "Ribyyn, I had nothing to do with this murder.  I swear it."  When he saw her eyes fill with relief he regretted what he was going to say next even before he said it.  "But-"

"But?" she interrupted.  "There's a 'but'?"

He nodded.  "I've had word from some close companions of mine that murders have been going on for the past month or so.  No violent ones, of course; that would have been noticed by the palace nobles.  These 'murders' were mostly sick children or old men and women but they were written off by authorities as old-age, but there's a pattern in the way they're done.  If they're in the middle class right now, it won't be long before they reach the nobles' mansions and then the palace."

Ribyyn swallowed hard, attempting to keep her face passive.  "What are we going to do?"

"What can we do?" Darin asked her in return.  "Ribyyn, quite honestly we can't do anything!  You're a noble lady, and even though I know you aren't soft with a weak constitution, that's how you're supposed to act.  And I can't do anything because if I get involved they'll blame it on me, and that's honestly the last thing I want right now."  His grip on her shoulders tightened.  "Ribyyn, promise me you'll not get involved.  Promise me."

Ribyyn stared him straight in the eye.  "I can't make you that promise," she said softly.

Darin sighed and tugged her into his arms, leaning his head on the top of hers.  "Then promise me you won't do anything foolish.  Or, at least, nothing foolish without me there, being foolish beside you."

Ribyyn smiled contentedly and closed her eyes.  Her full day and night had finally caught up with her and she realized that she was well overdue for bed.  "That I can promise," she said with a sigh as she fell asleep, leaning on Darin.

Darin smiled down at Ribyyn as he lifted her up and tucked her into bed.  Then, grabbing some extra blankets out of the chest at the foot of his bed, he made a make-shift bedroll.  Climbing in, he quickly fell asleep.

~*~

It was late morning when Ribyyn awoke with the sun shining in her eyes.  Sighing, she rolled over, only to collapse off the bed in a tangle of sheets.  The floor grunted.

_Wait…_

Opening her eyes she lifted her head up to see that she was sprawled in some fashion on top of Darin's torso.  "Rib," he said, trying to catch his breath.  "Get off of me please."

"Sorry," she mumbled and rolled off.  "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, you did."  He sat up rubbing his side where her elbow had dug into his ribs.  "Don't worry.  I'm alright."

Ribyyn nodded and glanced around the room.  It looked different in broad daylight than it did in the dark and in candle or moonlight, which were the only other times she'd been in the room.  It wasn't as large as her room in the palace, but it was by far bigger than the one that she'd had at the Alexzander's home.  The bed that she'd slept on was a large four poster one, made out of a beautiful redwood and decorated with intricate carvings.  There was a table in one corner, with two large, stuffed, and well-used armchairs, and against the wall there was a giant armoire.

The door leading outside of the bedroom was slightly ajar and lead to the connecting sitting room.  Pulling herself up, Ribyyn unwound her legs from the mess of sheets and straightened her skirts, smoothing them down daintily.

Darin made a noise and Ribyyn glanced down at him.  His face was contorted in amusement.  "When'd you become such a lady, Rib?"

"I've always been a lady," she told him with a glare.

Darin snorted as he pulled himself up off the floor.  "If you say so, love.  Now, mind leaving for a moment so that I can get dressed?  Unless, of course, you would prefer to watch," he suggested.  Ribyyn rolled her eyes at his foolishness and shook her head as she stepped out of the room to give the king of thieves some privacy.

"Ribyyn?" said a familiar voice.  Looking up, Ribyyn saw Hayden standing in the doorway of another room.  A room that, she supposed, was the one he stayed in.  He looked different from when she'd last seen him.  His hair was longer, and curlier if that was possible.  He'd grown about an inch and his face had matured too.  It was strange to her; when she'd lived with him she'd never noticed the changes, but after being away from him for nearly two months he looked like a completely different person.  "Ribyyn, what are ye doin' 'ere?"

"Well, I was sleeping," she answered.  She knew almost immediately after saying it that this was the wrong answer, since Hayden's green eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Not like that, you twit!" she cried with a laugh, happy to know that his personality hadn't changed at all, even if his looks had.  "If you must know he slept on the floor!"

Hayden raised a brow and gave her a suspicious look.  "An' where did _you_ sleep?"

"On the bed, of course.  Do we have breakfast downstairs?"

"Right," Hayden said, ignoring her question and heading to the door that lead into the hallway.  Ribyyn followed him out into the hall and down a flight of nearby stairs.  "So what were ye doin' 'ere before ye decided t'," he cleared his throat, "sleep."

Ribyyn rolled her eyes.  "I needed to ask Darin a question.  And before you ask, it's none of your business."

"I think it is my business 'f it's in the room next door t' me," he said as they entered the kitchen.  "Slyde, at least, always 'ad the decency t' warn me 'fore 'e 'ad a girl over fer company."

"_Hayden!" Ribyyn cried with surprise.  "I don't want to know that!  And besides, I already told you-"_

Hayden laughed and sat down, pulling Ribyyn down into a chair next to him.  "Aw, Rib.  I'm just kiddin'.  C'mon, I 'aven't seen ye in weeks, months even.  Tell me what ye've been up to."

Ribyyn sighed, relaxed in his company once again.  _Gods, I've missed him, she said to herself as she leaned back in her chair, readying herself for a full day of catching up with one of her closest friends._

~*~

_In Port Caynn:_

There was a loud, pounding knock on his door.  Roank rolled over and landed on the floor with an audible 'thump'.  The banging continued.

"I'm comin'!" he cried out hoarsely.  Glancing outside as he grabbed a pair of breeches that lay on the end of the bed he saw that the sun was high in the sky.  He'd slept in; it was past noon.

Whoever was at the door was very anxious to speak to him.  Roank had only managed to put one leg in the breeches when the knocking commenced again.

"Argh," Roank growled to himself and muttered something rude about impatient folks as he pulled the breeches on the rest of the way and went to answer the door.  Slyde stood there, his hand raised to knock again.  "What is it?"

Slyde looked grim.  "Evan's downstairs.  Says there's something ye should know."  Evan, whose real name was Evangeline, though she'd stab anybody who even _attempted_ to use that name on her, was their messenger.  She'd been in Corus just yesterday.

Roank sighed.  "I'll be right down."

Slyde nodded and went downstairs to wait.  Making his way over to the table where their messenger was reclining with her eyes closed, he grabbed a pitcher of water and a glass.  He plopped down into a seat across from the young woman, no more than a girl really, and poured her a drink.

"Thanks," she whispered quietly before gulping the water down.  "Is he comin' soon?"

Slyde nodded as he examined her.  She was tired; he'd be able to tell that if he was blind.  But there was something else in her pale green eyes, a sort of haunted look.  She'd seen something she shouldn't have, and then rode three hours to reach Port Caynn.  Her blonde hair was dirty and sweat plastered it to her head.

Roank had arrived by the time Slyde was done with his assessment of the messenger.  "So?" he asked, his voice still rough from sleep.  "What's so important that ye made a midnight ride out here from Corus?"

Evan fiddled with her glass.  "Ye'r not gonna like it," she said with a sigh.  "But it's important."  She glanced up at the two men, "I was watchin' Ribyyn last night, like ye told me to.  I still say that one of these days I'm gonna get caught, and the two of ye will be in more trouble than it's worth, but it's yer hangin'."  Refilling the glass, she took another sip before continuing.  "So I was watchin' the girl all night, followin' her from the woods t' the library an' such.  She got back t' th' rooms real late an' that lord started yellin' at 'em an'-"

"Evie," Roank said softly, using a forbidden nickname.  Forbidden to anyone that wasn't Roank.  "I really hate to interrupt, but could you just get to the point?"

"I am gettin' t' the point," she snapped though her voice was still soft.  "Have some patience will ye?"  Sighing deeply she continued, "So th' lord is yellin' at 'em but then th' king comes in an' says there's been this murder in th' lower business district, just outta the slums."

"What do ye mean murder?" Slyde asked.  "We've been getting those letters from Darin about all those folks in the slums dyin' but he never mentioned it being murder."

"Aye, I've heard about that too," Evan added.  "An' it's written off as sickness or old age, but some of 'em are too suspicious.  There was a lass that died a couple weeks ago, and she was right healthy.  T'was her younger sister who was sick.  That looks like a murder to me."

"Didn't that get reported to th' nobles up on th' hill?" questioned Roank.

"Nay, girl was an orphan and about twelve.  Th' place where she lived was involved with things like poppy and such, an' th' ladies that ran th' joint didn't wanna be shut down, so they never told."

"But perhaps the girl," Slyde began but stopped when Evan shook her head.

"Th' healer at th' orphanage said there wasn't a trace a poppy in her."

"So it's murder?" Slyde asked softly.

Evan nodded.  "I left after that, I had to go see what happened.  It was awful, blood everywhere.  Th' couple's mouths were open like they was in th' middle of screamin'."  She paused in thought, "But th' folks down there were sayin' that th' couple had child, a girl, an' she wasn't there."

"So a murder and a kidnapping."

"Seems so, though she mighta run away after seein' what was happenin' to her folks."  She looked up at the two men.  "I think that girl that died in th' orphanage a couple weeks back was a mistake.  I don't think whoever murdered her meant t' do it.  There's somethin' in common with all those who've died, but I can't put my finger on it.  I don't have enough information just yet."

"Well, don't give yourself a headache," Roank told her.  "Go upstairs and get some sleep."

Evan nodded in thanks and walked slowly up the stairs.  When she was out of sight Roank turned to his second in command.  "Slyde," he said, his face grim, "I think it's time we take a trip to Corus t' visit yer brother."

A/N:  FINALLY!  I'm DONE!  GAGH!!!!!  R/R and you get a cookie.  Oh!  And cookies for all those who've R/R before.  Bry, if you beta maybe I'll be motivated enough to fix all my mistakes this time. But like you've said, you're a slacker beta who only needs to actually beta something occasionally.  Sorta like my babysitting jobs.


	7. Visitation Rights

A/N: I'm going crazy!!!!!! :D  I'm working with too many characters.  I think it's time to kill some. :D This is very short I know.  But I had to get it out before I lost the idea.  Plus it's a snow day so I have some free time!

Henna: thanks for the offer.  It was quite sweet, but I wasn't really asking for a new beta.  I was just joking around with my current one.

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 6 – Visitation Rights_

It was late afternoon when Ribyyn returned to the palace.  She knew she was in more trouble than she anticipated when she saw the faces of the guards that stood at the palace gates.  Both men looked down at her with small, worried frowns.

"Milady," said one.  "Milord's been lookin' for ye."  Ribyyn didn't stop to answer and didn't look up to meet his eyes.  She just walked shamefully past him, keeping her eyes on her feet.

The walk to the Goldanlake's palace suite didn't improve her mood any.  Next to her ride away from Hadic and the Scanran raiders, it was one of the longest journeys of her life.  Or at least it felt that way.  She hadn't _wanted_ to disobey Alden.  In fact, she wasn't quite sure why she had done it in the first place.  Perhaps Hayden had rubbed off on her a bit more than she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to her foster family's rooms.  What she expected to see was Lord Alden and Lady Bryttany sitting in the large plush chairs facing the fireplace with their backs to the door.  What she did not expect was the rest of the family; Jessa, Orlando, and Karoline.  She also did not anticipate finding the king there with his niece.

She stood quietly in the doorway, waiting for somebody to turn around or look up and see her.  That somebody was Min.  When the princess lifted her head, Ribyyn could see the worried look on her friend's face.  She hadn't expected anyone to be _truly_ worried.  After all, she'd only gone down to speak to Darin and she'd only stayed so late because she wanted to catch up with Hayden.

Min rose and rushed over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her.  Ribyyn stiffened in surprise and returned the hug awkwardly.  The heir to the throne pulled away and looked her friend straight in the eye.  "We've been so worried," she whispered.

Ribyyn pulled her eyes away from the princess's intense gaze and rested her eyes on her foster family.  "I didn't mean to worry you," she said softly.  "I only went out to visit some friends in the city and I honestly-"

"You went out, Ribyyn," Alden interrupted her, his voice hard.  "You went out, when I specifically told you to stay here."

"I know," she answered weakly.  It was useless to argue, she knew that, but it was instinct.  "I know you told me not to, but I had to see them.  I had to ask.  I had to _know_."

"Know what?" asked Karo innocently.  The girl held her rag doll in her lap and there was a doll-sized makeshift bed at her feet.  Lady Bryttany rose from the chair and picked up the blankets that lay on the floor.

"Come on, Karo," she said quietly, "time to go take a nap."

"A nap?" the young girl asked, surprised.  "I'm too old for-"

"Karoline," her father said harshly, not removing his eyes from Ribyyn.  "Room, now.  You too Orlando."

"But I-" the boy began.

"Now.  And Jessalyn, you go keep an eye on them."

Jessa opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it.  Walking towards Karo's room she opened the door and waited for her siblings.  Orlando sighed heavily, took his younger sister's hand and dragged her into her room.  Jessa closed the door behind them.

"Who did you go to visit, Ribyyn?" Alden asked, his voice monotonous and angry.  Ribyyn's eyes flashed and traveled to the king and then to Min.  Min's eyes held only sorrow.

"Ribyyn?"

"Friends, sir" she answered, watching her feet once again.  Then, in a rare occasion of verbosity, she began to babble.  "Only friends, I swear.  And we talked, that was all.  And when we were done talking it was late, or early, and I was too tired to walk all the way back, and he probably wouldn't have let me walk all the way back alone anyway, so I spent the night there."

"He?" the king asked.

Ribyyn let out a string of silent curses in her mind.  She'd forgotten the king was here and listening to everything she said.  "M-my brother's friend," she answered awkwardly.

"Your brother was rather young when he left the palace," the king replied.

Ribyyn shook her head.  "He's from Hadic, Your Majesty."

"But, according to all reports, everyone in Hadic died.  With the single exception of you, of course."

"He wasn't there at the time.  He was visiting an uncle here in the city," she told him.  It wasn't the truth, and he probably knew that, but she was not about to pour out the entire story to the king.  Even Glynice Alexzander didn't know the full story, and she'd helped raise Ribyyn.

"I see," the king said with a nod.  The room was silent as everyone watched Ribyyn with interest.

"There was a reason I told you not to go down to the city, you know that."  Alden's voice was less harsh now.  "And you know that because you disobeyed me you're going to have to be punished."  Ribyyn nodded, and waited for it.  She didn't like the idea of extra etiquette lessons or extra needlepoint lessons, but she knew they were well deserved.  And at worse, she'd be restricted to the palace grounds for a week.  She'd gone nearly two weeks without seeing Darin and two months without seeing Hayden.  She could last a week.  "I think," Alden continued, "that the situation being what it is, the best punishment would be restriction to the palace grounds and extra lessons to keep you busy."

She smiled to herself.  _As usual_.

"Until further notice," he said.

Ribyyn could feel her jaw drop.  "Further notice?  What does that mean?"

"It means, Rib," Lord Alden said as he walked towards her and kneeled down so that he was at the same height as her, "that you can't go off the palace grounds until I deem it safe enough."  He held up a hand as she tried to speak.  "And, I don't want to hear of your friends coming here to visit you, though I know that seems unlikely right now.  And I don't want them sending letters to you.  You are to have _no contact_ with them, is that understood?"

Ribyyn's eyes flashed with anger, "But why?"

"Because they're suspects, Ribyyn.  They're suspects in this murder and the murders that have been taking place all over the city.  It's not safe."

"Suspects?" she hissed.  "But they didn't _do_ anything!  Darin told me they didn't do anything!  He didn't even know!"

"Ribyyn," Alden closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  "You aren't making this any easier on me, Rib.  I _don't_ want to do this to you, but it's for your own good."

A tear ran down her cheek and she wiped at it furiously.  "But it's not fair," she insisted.  "They haven't done anything wrong.  They would never hurt somebody like that.  Not ever!"

Alden's eyes opened and he saw a few more tears that fell from her eyes.  "Maybe they wouldn't, but Ribyyn, I don't know that.  I _can't_ know that.  Not for sure.  So until we find the man, or woman, who's been committing these horrible murders, you are not to contact them.  Do you understand?"  His voice had gone from hard and angry to soft and sorrowful, and Ribyyn couldn't stand it.  Her tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

"Ribyyn?" Alden asked as he wiped her cheeks with his large callused fingers.  "Do you understand why I need you to do this for me?"

She shook her head.  The only thought that registered was that she wasn't allowed to even _write_ to Darin or Hayden.  She could have gotten over not seeing them, but to have _no contact whatsoever_ was just too much.  She'd known Darin since childhood and Hayden was like a brother.  They wouldn't hurt a fly unless they had reason to.

She sniffed and, pulling away from Alden, wiped her eyes.  "I'm tired," she hiccupped.  "I'm going to go lie down."

Alden nodded and stood to watch her go.  As she closed the door behind her, he sighed and turned to his fiancée and the king.  "I hope this was the right thing to do.  I pray to Mithros that she doesn't get the idea in her head to run off in the middle of the night."

The king nodded in agreement, "I'm doubling up the guards that have night watch.  I'll tell them that they should keep a look out for people leaving the palace in the middle of the night as well as entering.  You've done the right thing my friend.  When this is all over she'll forgive you."

A/N:  OY!  THE DRAMA!  And look!  Done in one morning!  Yes, I know it's much shorter than most of my chapters, but this seemed like this part could do well in a stand alone chapter.  Plus, it's only been a few days since my last update so that's alright then.   I'll try to update soon, but, well, weekends are the only free time I have.  That's when I put down on paper what I think up in my head when I zone out in Stat class.  I _swear_ I could write full chapters weekly in that class if I didn't sit in the front row.


	8. Breaking the Rules

A/N: LALALA!  FREE TIME IS BLISS!  Yum, yum, Frapples.  Lovely, lovely, Frapples.  THE MASTER HATH REVEALED HIMSELF TO ME!  I'm so happy, I could dance.  I think I will.  *dances*  Sorry 'bout that April Fools joke folks.  I was desperate for an update but the chapter wasn't done yet.

DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to me. Places however are borrowed from the Almighty T.P. :D

**Lady Ribyyn of Hadic II: Shadows**

_Chapter 7 – Breaking the Rules_

Ribyyn lay on her back on the floor, staring at the whorls and swirling patterns in the tiled ceiling above her.  Being stuck at the palace was no fun at all.  She'd thought, originally, that she'd be able to get through this punishment, but it was becoming harder by the day.

It wasn't the fact that she wasn't allowed outside the palace walls, though that was a major contributor to her misery, that had her lying, unmoving, on the stone floor.  It also wasn't the fact that she was allowed no contact whatsoever with two of the people who knew her best.  She'd actually found a way around that; she'd sent letters to Hayden through his mother.  She suspected that Lord Alden knew about this, but he hadn't done anything to stop her.

No, what had Ribyyn lying listlessly on the cold stone was the other part of her punishment; the extra lessons.

She'd thought at first that when Alden had said she'd have extra lessons, such lessons would last for only a week, at most a week and a half.  After all, he knew her well enough to know that if she was confined to a room for more than an hour and forced to do a boring task she went temporarily mad.  He must have known that if she had etiquette and sewing and poetry lessons for over two weeks she'd go berserk.

Apparently this was not the case, as she was already a month into this gods forsaken punishment and there was no end in sight.  She'd gotten so fed up with Lady Dorothe's monotonous voice droning on about the proper way to curtsey, that she'd done the unspeakable (Lady Dorothe's words, of course.) and earned herself some time in her room to, "think about the difference between acting like a commoner and acting like a well bred noble lady."  Ribyyn thought that this punishment was a bit much, especially since she had learned the word from her step-mother and not from any of the "hellions" (again, Lady Dorothe's word) that she had lived with for the past four years.

She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes as she heard the door creak open.

"Ribyyn," said the deep voice of Lord Alden.  He didn't sound angry, but one never really knew with him.  If there was one thing she had learned in the three months that she'd been staying with the Goldenlake family it was that Lord Alden was very good at hiding his emotions.  Jessa said that he'd visited the Yamani Islands when he was younger and had picked up the habit.  "We need to talk."

"If this is about what I said to Lady Dorothe," she told him, "I have no intention of apologizing.  She insulted my friends."

"I know what she said, Ribyyn.  She told me."  Lord Alden sighed and looked down at the young noble, shaking his head sadly.  "What am I going to do with you?"

Ribyyn sat up, drew her knees to her chest and looked at the man who had been kind enough to take her into his home.  She shrugged helplessly.  "I'm a burden aren't I?"

Lord Alden didn't answer, only raised a brow in a questioning look.

"Lady Sienna, my step-mother, called me that once.  I was supposed to be having lessons and she found me in the barn playing with the cats in the loft.  She threatened to send me to the convent.  She said she was going to talk to Papa about it."  She paused, as if thinking of what to say next.

Alden waited for a good amount of time before asking the question that she seemed to be waiting for.  "Did she ever talk to him?"  His voice was soft, with no hint of anger and when Ribyyn met his eyes they were full of an emotion that she had never seen before from him.

"Yes," she answered quietly.  "At supper that evening she told Papa she thought it would be in my best interest if I was sent away to learn how to be a proper lady.  She said there were too many distractions at home.  Papa agreed with her; he always did."

The questioning look in Lord Alden's eyes grew deeper.  "But you told me you never went to the convent."

"I didn't," she told him, her voice softer than ever.  "My entire family died the next week."

Lord Alden knelt in front of the girl, examining her face.  "Ribyyn, you are _not_ a burden.  Do you understand me?  You never have been."  He paused and smirked, "Even when you're breaking into my house illegally."

Ribyyn chuckled and a small smile formed on her face.  "Do you mean it, or are you just saying that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

Ribyyn's smile grew.  "No, I suppose not."

"However," Lord Alden said, standing up quickly, "Because of the rude way you treated Lady Dorothe, you do need to be punished."  Ribyyn groaned as her foster father smiled.  "You're to watch Karo in the afternoons for the next two weeks."

Ribyyn groaned again.  "Even though Lady Dorothe deserved what I said to her?"

Lord Alden's smile spread from ear to ear.  "Yes, even so."  And with that he winked at her, turned on his heel, and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

~*~

"Karo!" Ribyyn called out, "Are you coming or not?  Hurry up!"

"I am hurrying!" the little girl screamed from her bedroom.  There was a thump and a few yelps and finally a curse from the room before Karo came out, her hair a mess and her boots in one hand.  She wiped her eyes with her free hand; they were red from crying.

"What's wrong?" Ribyyn asked kindly, taking the boots from the girl.

"My hair's all in knots and it hurts to brush it," Karo sobbed.  "And I can't tie the boots properly."

"Well, that's nothing to _cry_ over, silly.  Sit down; I'll help you with the boots."  The child obeyed happily.

As Ribyyn laced the boots up and knotted them Karo asked what they were going to do with her hair.  Ribyyn studied the girl a moment.  Her hair looked like a bird's nest, if the bird was a very messy one.  If Ribyyn were to be blunt, it was an absolute disaster.  "I'm not sure there's much we can do with your hair, darling," Ribyyn said kindly, pulling the ribbon out of her own hair and gathering up Karo's knotted curls.  "We'll just have to tie it up and hope for the best."

A quarter of an hour later the Ribyyn could be found lying on her back near the skating pond.  The temperature was finally rising and everything around them smelt of spring.  The trees were surrounded by the glowing green aura of buds, birds flew north overhead, and flowers bloomed.  The air was clean and crisp and fresh smelling.  Ribyyn loved spring more than any other season.

Karo stood a few feet away, spinning in circles and watching her new skirts swirl around her.  "Ribyyn?" she asked softly, her voice heavy and tired.

"Hm?"

"When's your birthday?"

Ribyyn sat up and looked over at the young girl.  "What?" 

"You're birthday," Karo repeated.  "When is it?  Mine's next week.  Gramma sent me my present early."  She motioned to her skirt.  "Do you like them?  Aren't they pretty?  I love the color purple."

Ribyyn blinked in thought, wondering if she had rambled on about nothing when she was Karo's age.

The little girl swirled around continuing her chat about absolutely nothing.  "I just want to know.  I'm curious."

Ribyyn bit her lip and played with a blade of grass.

_"Ribyyn!" Kalvin cried as he banged on her door.  "Ribyyn, wake up!"_

_Ribyyn__ pulled the door open quickly to reveal her older brother standing at the doorway, his hand raised to knock again.  His dark brown hair fell across his bright green eyes.  He smiled at her.  Behind him stood her younger half-brother, Griffen, his blond curls in disarray, brown eyes wide with excitement._

_"What do you want?" she sighed, leaning her head against the open door._

_"Come with us," Kalvin answered, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her down the hallway.  He dragged her outside towards the stables._

_"Ow, Kalvin, loosen your grip!  It hurts!"  She struggled with him, but his grip remained the same.  "Did you have to drag me out of my room in my nightdress?  Couldn't you have let me get dressed first?  _What's going on?!?_"_

_Kalvin__ ignored her questions and dragged her right up to the stable doors.  "Alright, close your eyes."_

_"Wh-"_

_"Just do it!" Griffen cried.  He was very forceful for a ten year old and Ribyyn decided it was in her best interest to listen to him._

_Kalvin__ took her hand and led his sister slowly into the stable.  "Can I open my eyes now?" she asked._

_"Not yet."_

_"Now?"_

_"Didn't I just say-"_

_"NOW?"_

_Kalvin__ stopped and dropped her hand.  "Fine.  Now," he said.  He sounded fed up and angry with her and Ribyyn opened her eyes to meet his.  But instead of seeing the anger she expected she saw them alight with joy and shining with laughter._

_"What's so funny?" she asked, frowning at him._

_"Hey!" she heard Nolan, her youngest brother, cry from behind her.  "Aren't you going to say thank you?"_

_Ribyyn__ turned around slowly.  "Thank you for wh-"  She stopped and stared.  There in the stall was the most beautiful horse she had ever laid eyes on.  The mare was a deep ebony from nose to tail but there were gray speckles all around her ankles.  Her eyes were a beautiful golden-honey color._

_"Is she…"  Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish her sentence._

_"Yes," Kalvin sighed with great exaggeration, "she's yours."  He looked down at his speechless younger sister.  "You know," he said jokingly, "a thank you would be appreciated.  After all we have been saving for her all year."_

_"We?" she asked, her eyes not moving from the mare's golden ones._

_"Yes. Nolan, Jakov, Griffen, and I."  He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.  "This is what I spent most of _my_ birthday money on."_

_Ribyyn__ tore her eyes away from her horses and looked at each of her brothers.  "But why?"_

_"Cause it's you're thirteenth birthday, dummy!" Jakov yelled at her from atop the horse. "Kalvin says that when girls turn thirteen they're considered adults."_

_"Considered for marriage is more like it," Kalvin muttered from behind her, and Ribyyn suddenly realized that this gift was as much a going away present as it was a birthday one.  In a few months she'd be carried off in a carriage to the convent in the south.  At least, that's what would happen if Lady Sienna could convince her father of it later that evening when he returned from Corus._

_"And besides," Jakov continued, unaware that his older brother had said anything, "we like you, even if you scream like a girl when we put spiders in your bed."  He dismounted from the horses back. "Now come on, you need to try her out!"_

"Ribyyn?" Karo asked, her face very close to the older girl's.

"What?"

"Haven't you been listening to me?"  The child's eyes were bright with withheld laughter.  _What could possibly be so funny?_ thought Ribyyn.

"Sorry," Ribyyn said with a small smile.  "My birthday's right around Beltane."

"Is it really?" asked a masculine voice from behind.  "I had always thought it was Mid-Summer's Eve."

Ribyyn whirled around to face Darin.  "What are you doing here?"

"Oh no, wait," Darin said, ignoring her question.  "That was Lady Sienna's and your father's anniversary.  Now I remember."

Ribyyn ignored him.  "_Darin_," she said forcefully.  "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing here?  I'm visiting."

"You shouldn't be here," she said softly, glancing around for anybody who might be in earshot.  The only other person that she could see was Karo.  Standing up, Ribyyn dusted herself off.  "Karo, would you excuse us for a moment?  Stay right here, I'll be back as quickly as I can."

Karo nodded but didn't seem too happy about the situation.  Ribyyn's mood had changed so drastically in a matter of moments.  Smiling at the little girl, Ribyyn reached down and grabbed Darin's upper arm, hauling him up to his feet with a strength he hadn't known she had and dragging him off so that they could speak in private.

"Yikes, Rib," he protested, calmly prying her fingers off of his arm.  "Calm down."

"Darin!" she cried, "You can't be here!"

The thief king looked down at her suspiciously.  "Why not?  Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"Darin," she glanced around quickly, her voice dropping to a whisper.  "Darin, they think _you're _the one who's been killing all those people in the city.  They think _you're_ the one behind it all."

"But I'm not," he said softly, reaching up to cup her chin in his hands.  "You know that, right?  I'm not."

Ribynn nodded sadly as she met his eyes.  "I know, but they won't believe me."

Darin sighed and sat down.  "Slyde and Roanke are in town," he told her, changing the subject.  "I thought you'd like to know."

"They can't come visit me either," she said softly, joining him on the ground.  "Darin, you have to leave."

"There's nobody here," he whispered, taking hold of her wrist and leaning towards her.  "Hush and enjoy my company."

"Darin-"

"Ribyyn," he murmured, his face inches away from hers.  "Don't you know when to shut up?"

"Well, well, well.  What have we here?"

Ribyyn leapt up, ripping her wrist out of Darin's hand, and spun around.  Sir Mathias of Fawks Ridge stood there, a feral grin spread across his beautiful face.

A/N: Wow.  Would you believe that it took me three weeks to write those last two lines?  I'm serious it did.  I went to bed one night with Darin about to kiss Ribyyn, and the next day I just couldn't write it.  In any case, I'll probably be murdered, not only for the cliffhanger but because it took me like a month to get this up.  But you should be happy with the cliffhanger.  If it wasn't a cliffhanger I'd have no place to go with the next chapter.  So... enjoy that. :D

Oh, again.  Terribly sorry about that April Fools Joke thing.  I honestly did not expect to get anyone.  Really, I didn't.  I thought it had been done before.

So let's see, how many pages is this chapter... 4 pages with 2,316 words.  2,532 words if we're including A/N.  Wow.


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